The Neutrality of the Net, Who Decides

I wrote this paper as part of an ethics in computer science course that I took as an undergraduate at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Abstract:
Throughout the epochs of time, different periods have demonstrated particular characteristics that caused us to classify them as ages. Whether it was the unforgiving polar climate that defined the Ice Age or sudden arousal of particular metallic value during the Bronze and Iron Ages, human history has swung through periods of explosion in all kinds of phenomena. We have now entered an Information Age where information may be the most important commodity on the planet. To that end, the transmission of such information (no matter what type) has become a matter of great importance. Network neutrality, the idea that Internet service providers (and governments) should not and cannot regulate network traffic, has become a hot-button issue in this time of rule under Moore’s Law. But the question of the constitutionality of net neutrality also gives rise to the question: who has the authority to implement and enforce it? This paper will examine arguments presented by the Federal Communications Commission and various Internet service providers in order to form a conclusion on the validity of network neutrality control by the FCC.